Dark Side
by ShadowKira
Summary: Rewrite of the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" episode. A lot less campy than the show, ties in latent feelings and the progressive transformation into a bacchae. Will Xena be able to control her desires long enough to keep the plan on track? Or will she succumb to the powerful urges brought on by her transformation? GxX Rated M for language, some situations but no smut, sorry.


I'm so sorry guys, I write too many stories. But I just... Have so many ideas! And to write and finish a story I seem to have to jump back and forth between them. As much as I appreciated the title and lesbian vampire vibe that the original "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" had... I felt the need to write this. Hope you like it.

* * *

Gabrielle could almost feel the beat as the pounding of the drums intensified, the woman's voice on stage becoming a twisted lullaby. The bard's lids dipped over her eyes slightly, the shifting and flickering of the lights coming off of the many candles and fires in the open square only intensified the surreal mood.

She could see two women towards the center of the dance floor dancing close together, one wearing a dark and ornately decorated mask. The blonde moved forward towards the two women, her pace slow and calm as she approached them. The one on the right grinned slightly and extended her hand to Gabrielle. The bard could have sworn that she saw the glint of a slender fang peek out from beneath the woman's full upper lip but the thought was quickly pushed to the back of her mind as she was pulled into the dance. The woman with the mask slowly removed it and grinned at her partner as the short haired woman moved around Gabrielle, her confident smile never wavering.

The longer haired woman moved her arms forward towards the blonde, her fingers moving gently across the bard's exposed stomach before lowering down to her waist line. Her fingers tightened slightly on Gabrielle's hips as she moved her own closer.

Gabrielle's teeth worried her lip as she became more and more entranced by the sensual dance and movements of her two partners, she had completely forgotten about the lyre and Joxer.

She was snapped from the sensual spell of the exotic dance when she suddenly felt the warm body behind her backing away, the woman before her scowling over the blonde's shoulder.

Gabrielle turned, her eyes still heavily lidded to find the bumbling buffoon in the flesh.

"Hey, Gabby, what're you doing out here? Who are your friends?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows at the shorter haired woman. She curled her lip back at him, exposing perfect white teeth.

The two women turned and left, much to Gabrielle's displeasure. She mumbled something under her breath before looking back to Joxer, "Where is the lyre?"

The man blinked slowly, digesting her words before glancing back towards where he'd just come from. "It's back where I left it."

Gabrielle rubbed her temples before pushing past the lanky warrior wanna be, "You were supposed to watch it Joxer!"

"And you said you were just keeping guard outside, Gabrielle!"

Orpheus rolled his eyes as he listened to the two bicker as they headed back towards his late friend's home, Gabrielle stopped abruptly as they entered the room that the lyre had last been seen in.

xxx

Xena walked casually down the dirt trail, the foe she was to face had her in an odd position. She knew what it would take to defeat him but she wondered if her two companions could handle their parts of the plan. Her eyes darted forward as a commotion broke out just outside of the village, she could hear two men talking in confident voices.

"The lyre..." The warrior whispered, her brows furrowing as she scanned the two Bacchae for anything else that could hint to the fate of her companions.

"That looks like it's too heavy for you..." The taller of the two thugs commented, his hand laid casually over his sword hilt.

His friend nodded, his greasy hair falling into his eyes. "Yeah, you should let us help you carry it ladies."

The shorter haired Bacchae, the same who had just moments before been seen with Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Her longer haired companion glared at the two men, "I think we can manage."

The two women hissed angrily as the man reached forward towards the Lyre, "W-what the hell?" He stammered, nearly falling over as he attempted to back away from the bizarre women. They grinned and licked their lips, eye teeth extending down past their upper lips as they moved towards their prey.

But before they could attack they turned their attention towards the sky, and the angry hiss of metal headed right in their direction. Chunks of bark flew off of a tree as Xena's chakram ricocheted back to her waiting hand. "Hey, ladies, how about you let me carry it... I'll make sure it get's back to it's proper owner." She said with a sarcastic smile, the two bacchae hissed even louder as they moved to rush the warrior. The thugs used the warrior as a distraction to slip off of the road and back into the woods unnoticed. And as usual Xena was one step a head of her enemy, she side stepped and drew her sword as they stumbled past her.

The shorter haired bacchae lunged at her a second time, letting out a loud screech as Xena's sword found it's mark. The shorter woman's arm hung limply at her side, her companion bared her fangs at Xena, circling before attempting her own attack. Xena knew that these two were realistically no match for her, although they presented a small challenge she realized if she was going to be bitten she would have to allow it to happen.

The long haired bacchae rushed the raven haired warrior, her claws scratching the taller woman's face. Xena hissed as the cheek that had been struck began to sting, she closed her eyes hoping the demonic woman would take the opening. The warrior smiled inwardly as she did just that, the smaller body knocking into her armor with a surprising amount of force.

Xena held her breath, she could feel the bacchae's hot breath across the soft, exposed skin of her neck. She resisted feebly in an attempt to keep appearances up in case someone happened upon the scene. The held breath escaped the warrior's parted lips as she felt the the sharp fangs sink into her flesh, she could feel her blood being drained but she remained still for a moment. As if frozen by fear or shock, the bacchae smiled into her neck.

At this Xena found that her pride was beginning to feel neglected, she suddenly returned to her normal self. The sole of her boot connecting heavily with the bacchae's stomach, sending the woman flying with a loud screech.

Xena grinned ferally from the ground, her adrenaline coursing through her veins suddenly. She moved to rush the women who decided it was time for them to flee the scene, the shorter haired bacchae ahead of her companion, the lyre clutched tightly in the hand of her good arm.

Xena's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly heard footsteps drawing close, "XENA!"

Gabrielle was gasping for breath as she saw the warrior stop in her tracks and turn slightly, the bard could clearly see the dirt and blood clinging to the other woman. She rushed to her friend, leaving Joxer and Orpheus in the dust.

"Are you alright?" The blonde questioned as she approached, Xena nodded silently. Her expression seemed unamused, her lips drawn into a tight line and one eyebrow arched.

"So, where's the lyre?" The warrior questioned sarcastically, Gabrielle laughed nervously at the question before trying to change the subject. Her hand reaching out to brush the raven hair out of the way of her view of Xena's neck.

Xena caught her hand, gently but firmly. She lowered her eyebrow, her expression still serious. Gabrielle averted her eyes but before she could respond Joxer chirped his own response.

"They must've taken it when I went to find Gabby, she'd gone into town to check things out and hadn't come back... I found her at the dance."

Xena frowned slightly, looking between the two. Gabrielle was glaring darkly at Joxer who seemed not to notice the shorter woman, his eyes were focused on Xena's neck.

"Xena, is that a bite?" He asked, his voice quivering slightly. He knew quite well that bacchae were known for not only feeding on men but also for stealing and transforming young women into their kin.

Xena narrowed her eyes at him, releasing Gabrielle's hand before moving her hair over her neck to better conceal the wound. "Of course not, just because those bacchae got passed you two doesn't mean they'd get passed me."

Gabrielle's shoulders slumped slightly at this, her grip tightening on her staff. She knew that it was her fault that the lyre had been taken, Joxer merely laughed at the warrior.

"Then why'd they get away with the lyre?" He asked without thinking, Xena set her jaw firmly before stalking past the man. Her hand twisting his already awkward helmet around so that his vision was obscured, she paused after walking a few feet beyond the her companions.

"I'm going to get the horses, stay here and don't do anything stupid." She said simply, making it a point to direct her comment towards the group and not an individual.

xxx

The group had been traveling in silence since their departure, Gabrielle had agreed to mount Argo behind Xena. Not wanting to agitate the already unhappy warrior she had overlooked her own discomfort on the large mare. She glanced up towards the other woman's profile, the moon light highlighting her sharp features.

"Get ready to make camp." Xena said suddenly, as a small break in the trees come into view.

Argo whinnied as her owner hopped down to the ground below, "You two set up the furs and take care of Argo, I'm going to make sure it's safe and gather firewood."

Gabrielle hopped down behind her, her eyes still averted, "Xena?"

She shivered slightly as the blue eyes turned back towards her, "Be careful."

The warrior smiled slightly before turning away, she had been trying to look like she was still mad with the blonde but she found the task nearly impossible. Gabrielle had a way of making her forgive when she normally would not but in this case she had been trying to teach the younger woman a lesson. She would need the Amazon in training to be focused and in control if the plan was to work.

Gabrielle moved quickly to untack Argo for the night, noticing Joxer just standing around she decided to pause momentarily in her task. "Here, deal with this. I'll take care of the horses..." She grumbled, throwing their two large packs at him, the man frowned exchanging a look with Orpheus before moving to set up the sleeping furs. He left a wide space in between his own and the girl's sleeping space, folding an extra strip of fur as a rest for Orpheus' head.

Gabrielle was just heading towards Joxer when she felt powerful arms wrap around her, a large hand covering her mouth.

"You should have heard me." Xena whispered in her ear, the blonde tried to calm her racing heart as the voice met her ears. She relaxed slightly back into the armored body behind her, "What would you do if I weren't here?" Xena asked, releasing her.

"If you weren't here, I wouldn't be either." Gabrielle responded, her hands moving to her hips as she turned to face the warrior. "Besides, no one can hear you when you don't want them to."

Xena fought the urge to grin at the obvious compliment, "I did want you to... The horses were responding to me moving past them after you left and I made sure to step on a rather large twig..."

Gabrielle's brows knit together, she cuffed the warrior playfully in the arm. "Fine, I'm tired and you got me. Now c'mon." The blonde huffed before turning on her heel and heading into their partially constructed campsite. Xena sighed, worry beginning to knot her stomach at her friend's inability to to protect herself.

She moved herself a few steps before bending and gathering the large bundle of branches and twigs she'd collected while surveying the woods around the campsite.

She watched Gabrielle from the corner of her eye as she prepared the fire, once she had the larger branches in place she retrieved a bit of kindling she'd tucked into her bracer. She then looked towards the bard who handed her a piece of flint, she struck the flint with her breast dagger before returning the small weapon to her bed roll for the night. Xena sat back as the fire licked hungrily at the wood, she could hear Gabrielle prepping dinner from their supplies but her mind was elsewhere. She knew that it would take several days for her transformation to complete but she could already feel small changes beginning to awaken in her body.

She had noticed while returning from her surveying that she'd had the urge to stalk the blonde as she finished up with the horses, Argo had been mostly unfazed simply because of her identity and trust for her owner. But Joxer's horse had become a little unsettled by her presence, Gabrielle's obliviously calm behavior had eventually made the horse more relaxed.

The warrior blinked, drawn out of her thoughts as a large piece of bread interrupted her view of the fire. "Thanks." She replied before tentatively picking at the small snack.

"Do you want anything else..?" Gabrielle asked, worry clearly written on her features as she watched Xena's response to the food.

"No, I'm not very hungry tonight. Thank you."

Joxer leaned in closer to the blonde, "She's not hungry because she's becoming one of them... She craves _blood_." He whispered slowly, his voice drawling as he ended his sentence.

Xena narrowed her icy eyes at the man who squinted up his features as a chunk of partially eaten bread collided with his face. "Hey, what's that for?"

"For spreading rumors, I wasn't bitten Joxer. So drop it!" Xena warned, her tone as icy as her blue eyes.

The man set his jaw firmly, knowing it was best to not argue with the warrior. Her glare lingered for a moment before she rolled over with a huff of agitation. "I'm tired, I'm heading to bed early." She said simply as she pulled her furs tightly around her.

Gabrielle frowned before turning a glare of her own towards Joxer, "Let it be, _please_."

Joxer grumbled something under his breath before getting back to the food on his plate, everytime Gabrielle had her back to the two men she could hear them whispering quietly. The mood was tense while they ate, the blonde was relieved to finally finish her meal.

"I'm heading down to the river to rinse off my dishes and then I'm heading to bed, you should do the same." She said firmly, Joxer merely nodded before taking another bite of food.

xxx

Xena lay facing away from the fire, several hours had passed since she laid down. The camp was finally quiet, Joxer's soft snoring was the only sound aside from the occasional settling of the fire. And yet, if she really concentrated... Xena could hear another sound, she could swear she heard a heart beat. Not that of her own, the beating wasn't calm like it would be if the person was sleeping.

"Gabrielle?" She asked, almost without thinking.

The blonde's eyes widened as the voice met her ears, she knew Xena could be a light sleeper but she was surprised the warrior wasn't still asleep.

"Y-yeah? What is it?" Gabrielle asked, sitting up slightly. The warrior remained silent for a moment before finally turning around in her furs.

The two stared at each other for a moment, Xena deciding it was best to break the silence as the confusion on her friend's face deepened.

"Why're you still awake?" The warrior asked in a soft voice, not wanting to ruin the moment by waking up Joxer.

Gabrielle hesitated a moment before finally responding, "I could ask you the same." She said, settling into a more comfortable position.

"Can't sleep, I think my adrenaline is still going from that scuffle with the bacchae... And the fact that they've got the lyre certainly isn't helping."

Gabrielle averted her eyes, "Sorry..."

Xena studied her expression calmly for a moment, once again allowing the lesson to settle in before she let the girl off the hook. "So what dance had you so distracted?" She asked, her tone lightening slightly.

Gabrielle's eyes rose, her cheeks flushing slightly.

The warrior's brow arched up at this, "What? Oh don't tell me you got all hot and bothered."

Gabrielle's blush deepened, she attempted a response but could only manage a pathetic and jumbled stutter.

"So you're into that kind of thing, huh?"

Gabrielle moved to argue but her eyes widened as the other woman moved in a blur, catching her off guard and pinning her to her plush furs. "What if I had been bitten? What would you do?" Xena asked, her voice low and raspy. Gabrielle's eyes fluttered closed as the words were spoken, the warm breath against her neck making it hard to concentrate on what was being said.

Xena narrowed her eyes as she realized what she was doing, she lifted her body up higher above the smaller one below her in an attempt to distance herself, her own heart beating fast now. "What would you do?" She asked again, softer and louder this time.

"W-what? I don't know." Gabrielle responded weakly, her eyes opening to meet Xena's. The look in the blue orbs above her made her heart skip a beat, she couldn't place what the look was but it both terrified and intrigued her.

Xena's face remained stoic as she rose and headed back to her furs, tonight was only the first night and she'd nearly lost control of the new instincts wracking her body. They were intensifying feelings that she'd tried to keep dormant, it was leaving her with very little options if the plan was to work.

"Xena?" Gabrielle asked softly, Xena wasn't sure if it was her own wishful thinking or if the blonde's voice really did sound hurt by her abrupt departure.

"Good night, Gabrielle."


End file.
